R. E. B. Crompton
British engineer (1845–1940)
Rookes Evelyn Bell Crompton, CB, FRS (31 May 1845 – 15 February 1940) was an English electrical engineer, industrialist and inventor. He was a pioneer of electric lighting and public electricity supply systems.2
From Wikipedia’s article on R. E. B. Crompton (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.
Born May 31, 1845, died Feb 15, 1940.1
About
The company he formed, Crompton & Co., was one of the world's first large-scale manufacturers of electrical equipment. He was also an early campaigner for an international standard for electrical systems. He was involved with both the practical and academic sides of his discipline, being a founder member of the International Electrotechnical Commission and twice president of the Institution of Electrical Engineers. He was a fellow of the Royal Society and a founder member of the Royal Automobile Club.
From Wikipedia’s article on R. E. B. Crompton, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.2
Early life and education
- Date not recordedHarrow School3
- Date not recordedElstree School3
- Date not recordedRoyal Military College, Sandhurst3
Early life
Evelyn Crompton was born at Sion Hill, near Thirsk, Yorkshire, one of five children. From an early age he was interested in machines and engineering. His autobiography tells how a trip to the Great Exhibition aged 6 had a profound impact on him:
For me, the unforgettable part and focus of the whole exhibition was the Machinery Hall … neither Koh-I-Noor diamond, nor Osler's crystal fountain … had any attractions for me to compare with those of the locomotives, with their brilliantly polished piston rods and brasses burnished like gold.
His schooling started at Sharow, near Ripon in Yorkshire, along with 19 other boys, aged between 7 and 15. In 1856 he went to school at Elstree, and then on to Harrow (1858–60).
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Crompton's education was interrupted by the outbreak of the Crimean War in 1854 and he was keen to see action, despite his young age. In mid-1856, after the conclusion of the war, he travelled to the Crimea on HMS Dragon and visited his brother in what had been the front line. Thereafter, he was awarded British Crimean War Medal and Sebastopol Clasp.
After the Crimea, Crompton returned to Britain and went to Harrow School. He eschewed the school's highly classical education, decided to study extra mathematics. He built his own static electricity generator and performed experiments with Leyden Jars. During a summer holiday, he designed and built a road-going steam tractor called Bluebell.
From Harrow Crompton obtained a placement at the Doncaster Works of the Great Northern Railway where he received theoretical education and practical experience in engineering. However Crompton still favoured the military life and in 1864 joined the British Army and served in the Rifle Brigade in India. Whilst there, he witnessed the work of the Royal Engineers building narrow gauge railways and developed a deep interest in steam traction. He had Bluebell shipped to him from Britain and convinced his superiors to adopt traction engines and steam lorries for transporting cargo instead of bullock-drawn carts. He designed some of the military steam wagons himself.
From Wikipedia’s article on R. E. B. Crompton (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.
Career
Occupation: inventor, electrical engineer, engineer.5
- Date not recordedFounded Crompton and Company Limited4
Crompton-Parkinson itself became part of the Hawker Siddeley Group in 1968. That group was broken up in stages during the 1980s, and several unrelated companies, all directly descended from Crompton & Co. through an often-complex series of mergers, break-ups and buy-outs, using the Crompton name:
Crompton Lighting - One of the oldest lighting manufacturers, this company is still based in Britain, with manufacturing in Doncaster, Yorkshire and head offices in Waltham Abbey, Essex. The company is now part of the American company Cooper Industries. The Crompton name is still widely used on a range of products. A totally separate company using the same name operates in Australia, and is descended from Crompton & Co's Australian subsidiary.
Brook Crompton - a manufacturer of electric motors with facilities in 5 countries, headquartered in Huddersfield, Yorkshire. It is owned by the Singapore-based Lindeteves-Jacoberg Limited.
Crompton Controls - based in Wakefield, Yorkshire. The company is in private hands and manufactures switchgear, relays, solenoids and other electrical components.
Crompton Instruments - Part of Tyco International since 2002, this company manufactures mechanical and electronic electrical meters and related measuring equipment.
CG Power and Industrial Solutions- the modern descendant of Crompton & Co.'s Indian operations, headquartered in Mumbai. Like its original parent company, this is a wide-ranging manufacturer building switchgear, motors, generators, transformers and meters. The company is engaged in the electrification program for Indian Railways.
Crompton Greaves Consumer Electricals
From Wikipedia’s article on R. E. B. Crompton (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.
Personal life
Awards
Links
Sources
The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.
- 1WikidataR. E. B. Crompton on Wikidata
- 2WikipediaR. E. B. Crompton on Wikipedia
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